In the SVG format, elements called “graphics” have a visual representation (or similar, such as the audio element), while other elements do not benefit from any visual representation, but have only an activity linked to interactions with other elements, or linked to the unfolding of the animation of other elements of the same multimedia scene.
In the description of multimedia scenes intended to be executed on a given terminal, it can be interesting, in certain contexts, to have the possibility or the choice that all or a portion of the multimedia objects of a scene be or not be rendered and/or played on an interface of the terminal.
By way of an informative example, it is known in the description format of multimedia scenes the multimedia object attribute “display”, which makes it possible to “act as if” an element or a group of elements were removed from a multimedia scene, at the moment of the rendering of the latter on a terminal.
As such, by means of this attribute specific to the SVG format, it is possible for an object or multimedia element of a multimedia scene:                to act as if the element having the attribute “display” was no longer in the scene (display=‘none’);        to act as if the element having the attribute “display” was again in the scene (“display” is assigned any other value than the value ‘none’)        to switch from one to the other by animating this “display” attribute.        
A first disadvantage of the “display” attribute if that it is specific to the SVG multimedia scene description format.
A second disadvantage of this “display” attribute is linked to the fact that it applies exclusively to graphic elements. The “display” attribute therefore does not apply to active non-graphic elements, such as SMIL animations, objects of the type that listen to other objects of the scene (“listener” objects for example), or objects of the script type.
In addition, when a multimedia scene, described in the majority of cases in the form of a scene description tree, also called scene tree, contains active elements or objects as well as graphics elements or objects, it is well known in prior art that the renderer of the terminal is obliged to scan the entire scene tree, whether or not the objects/graphic elements are displayed. Such a constraint is however necessary so that that the renderer of terminal can be able to correctly translate the activity of the graphic elements of the multimedia scene.
However, it is well known, in particular for what relates to the implementing and the rendering on radio communication terminals of multimedia scenes by programme written in the JAVA language (registered trademark), that the scan of the scene description tree occupies a major part of the rendering time and alters the quality of service offered to the user.
These disadvantages exist in all the description formats of multimedia scenes that are formed of an assembly of multimedia objects of different categories, of which certain ones can be rendered or not according to a parameter (for example the “display” parameter in the example of the SVG format) and which cohabitate with active objects of which the intrinsic activity is independent of the fact that they are rendered or not.
By way of an informative and non-limiting example, the SVG, LASeR and SMIL multimedia scene description formats fall into this category. In particular, the SVG compatibility of all of the scene remaining to be rendered is put into danger if the choice is made to not process all of the children of an SVG object of which the “display” attribute has the value “none”.